It was not so long ago that “Allez les rouges” was the soundtrack to Liverpool’s domination of Europe. Last night it became a lament to former glories as it reverberated around the Stade Lille-M?tropole.

Football’s French renaissance, given glorious exposure 24 hours earlier when Lyons dispensed with Real Madrid at the Bernab?u in the Champions League, was confirmed last night with a famous victory for Lille. Allez les rouges, indeed.

The oxymoronic-sounding Eden Hazard scored the goal that threatens Liverpool’s hopes of adding a silver lining to a season ridden by storm clouds. It also heightened the pressure on Rafael Benítez, who seems unable to extricate his team from their ever-deepening rut.

Learning from failures is Liverpool’s big weakness at present. Last time they were…

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